The first consideration when laying out a monthly budget is to determine the current exchange rate of your currency to the Euro.  At present, the U.S. dollar isn’t holding very well, and that makes the cost of living in France that much higher.  In reality, however, the general cost of living in France is less than in the U.S. 

Rents, education, health care, and child care are considerably lower in France. So there are ways to parlay your good fortune of being able to live in France with what the currency market is doing, if you plan well and take advantage of both economies.

Your move to France will mean A Change of Lifestyle within your home as well as outside.  Local, fresh food will become the norm.  Packaged food will become less important the longer you live in France, until the day comes when everything you buy will be fresh. 

Vegetables, cheeses and AOC wines (local) are all reasonably priced, and the local “market days” will find you storing up on enough fresh food to carry you through the week.  Your village will have a bakery (boulangerie) where your breads and rolls will be made fresh and sometimes offered to you hot out of the oven. Local olives, figs, fresh fruit and greens are also too delicious to pass up.  Your palate will undergo a radical change for the better, as will your waistline!

Plan your shopping around your visits home.  Clothing and shoes are best bought when in the U.S. or Canada, as a VAT tax of 20% is tacked onto all of those purchases in France. Once you are used to the cost of living in France, you will also understand the necessity of shopping "dual nationalities!"

Living in a village is less expensive than in the larger cities.  However, you will find that at least one car is necessary if you are outside the main towns. 

The following is a rough monthly budget, in U.S. dollars, for two adults:

Rent:                                             $800
Electricity:                                 $125
Phone and Internet                $  70
Health Insurance   (for 2)     $250
Car and Home Insurances    $  80
Taxes (including TV)              $  55
Water                                            $  30
Fuel (2 x / month)                   $170
Groceries:                                   $420 

                                          Total $2,000

If you purchase your home, you will save an additional $800 per month, on average, bringing your monthly budget to just over $1,200.